Tuesday. September 19. 2000
Sports
Page 1 B
THE BATTALION
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ig 12 races could be
]tighter than expected
Kansas State
K-State has jumped to No. 4 in
the rankings and won all of its
games. But could it have been
against an easier preseason sched
ule? It may have won Saturday with
a score of 72-0, but it was to Ball
State. The Wildcat defense could be
in for a shock when it faces teams
like Texas A&M at Kyle Field and
Nebraska in a game that will likely
decide the Big 12 North. Season af
ter season, KSU coach Bill Snyder
makes up one of the easiest pre con
ference schedules in the nation; but
each season the teams of the Big 12
more often than not fail when they
test the Wildcats. Regardless of the
score, the Big 12 season will be a »
wake-up call to Kansas State: now
it is time to play real football.
Texas
One of the most heralded groups
of offensive weapons in college
football history came up short on
Saturday at Stanford, another un
ranked team. The Longhorns took a
10-spot plunge in the polls after be
ing upset in California.
The quarterback controversy that
coach Mack Brown denies is obvi
ous with the ’Horns’ inability to
stick to either Applewhite or Simms.
It will be seen whether Texas can
recover, like last season after an
early loss, to run through the con
ference and win another Big 12
South title. But Oklahoma and
A&M appear in position to provide
even more bad news for Simms and
Applewhite.
Oklahoma is the only
other team left in the polls
headed into conference ac
tion. Meanwhile, Texas
A&M and Colorado search
for a way back into the
rankings while Texas Tech
and Oklahoma State look to
break in for the first time
this season. But 25 teams.,
including four Big 12
schools, are still ahead of
all of them. The Big 12 sea-
CHAD adams/The Battalion son is going tO be a lot less
Freshman running back Richard Whitaker clear-cut than it originally
looks to lead the Aggies into Big 12 play, appeared.
The Big 12 entered this season
h the verge of becoming a football
> superconference. Now, with inter
inference play only two weeks
Ivay, the schools of the Big 12 are
st uggling to maintain their status.
Sure, Nebraska and Kansas State
i| e 3-0, but Colorado and Texas
; 4&M are off the list. Meanwhile, the
ic-10 has three teams in the Top 10.
The non-conference schedule
is season showed weakness in
ei en the Big 12's top team, Nebras-
k. . Even though fewer teams are in
He rankings, some of the best con- ‘
fe rence games should happen on
S : t. 30. If for no other reason, the
Hmcs will be good because they
w ill be unpredictable.
I Before last week, there was a trio
o! Big 12 teams in the Top 10.
Here's where they are now;
I Nebraska
I Sitting on top of the college
^football scene is Nebraska. Just two
ieeks ago, Notre Dame, which be
gan the season unranked, came
within one overtime stop of unseat
ing Big Red. The Cornhuskers are
[ still No. 1, but Notre Dame’s near
E set gave the rest of the Big 12
me insight into the weaknesses of
College football’s top team.
Cross country nationals
in sight for Gulli, A&M
Junior harrier places sixth at Aztec Invitational
By Cayla Carr
The Battalion
The Texas A&M cross coun
try runner junior Melissa Gulli
placed sixth Saturday in the
Aztec Invitational held in San
Diego, Calif. Gulli and her
teammates are prepared for a
promising season.
or
66
She hates to lose,
and she has always
wanted to compete
with the best.”
— Dave Hartman
women's cross country coach
Junior cross country All-
American Melissa Gulli
leads the school with two
school records. She is one
of the top distance run
ners in the Big 12.
After a successful track season
last spring, Gulli is detennined to
help take the team to nationals.
She is prepared to achieve her
personal best as she heads into the
regional meet. She is not over
whelmed by the altitude in Col
orado, where the Big 12 champi
onships will be held this year.
Instead, she is excited about the
challenge and has confidence that
her team will not be affected.
Gulli began running cross
country her sophomore year at
Klein High School in Houston,
after she was forced to give up
soccer due to a severe leg injury.
Before she started, she
thought of it as a crazy sport,
but after she began running,
success came quickly for her.
She had always wanted to go
to A&M and was quick to make
her decision when deciding
what college she would attend.
Gulli said she feels like her
biggest influence has been
coach Dave Hartman. She said
he has made cross country fun
and rewarding.
Hartman describes Gulli as
very competitive.
“She is one of the hardest-
working girls on the team. She
hates to lose, and she has al
ways wanted to compete with
the best,” he said.
She has been running steadi
ly since her freshman year and
has shown improvement as she
begins her third season.
Her freshman year she was
the team’s top finisher three
times and posted her season
best by placing fourth at the Mi
ami Invitational. Her accom
plishments continued her
sophomore year as she finished
in the Aggie women’s top five
four times, placed eighth at the
Texas A&M Invitational and
made All-Region, where she
finished 22nd.
Last spring Gulli broke out
as one of the top distance run
ners in the conference. She set
two new school records in the
5,000 meters and the 3,000 me
ters at the Big 12 Outdoor
Meet, placing fourth and fifth.
Gulli’s ultimate goal this sea
son is to qualify for nationals
with her team and make All-
American by finishing in the
top 15.
She said she is grateful for her
cross country experiences and is
confident that, with hard work,
she can accomplish many things.
She said cross country has taught
her how to excel in life.
Gulli and her teammates an
ticipate their next big meet in
New York on Sept. 30. She said
this meet will show them where
they stand because they will
face stiff competition from na
tionally ranked opponents. Gul
li says she will continue run
ning after graduation and will
always remember what cross
country has taught her.
“Cross country helps you to
learn to work with other people
and it makes you stronger in
other aspects of life.”
Sports in Brief
Texas A&M women’s cross country team jumps from No. 23 to No. 20 in polls
The Texas A&M women’s cross country
team moved up to No. 20 in this week’s edi :
tion of the FinishLynx/NCAA Division 1
Women’s Cross Cpuntry National Poll released
Monday.
Fueled by their season-opening victory at the
Aztec Invitational this weekend, the Aggie
women jumped three spots in the poll from their
No. 23 preseason ranking.
Texas A&M is one of four Big 12 teams
ranked in the poll.
Kansas State came in at No. 3, followed .by de
fending conference champion Colorado at No. 4.
Missouri is right behind A&M at No. 21. Nebras
ka is receiving votes after falling from the No. 22
spot. The Aggies are also the highest-ranked
team from Texas and the second-highest from the
South Ceptral Region behind No. 9 Arkansas.
Texas A&M will send a partial squad to
Waco to compete in the Baylor Invitational this
Saturday.
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Schedule
iFlying Dutchman: Dutch swimmer Pieter van den
Hoogenband knocked off heavy favorite, Australia’s Ian
Thorpe, in the 200-meter freestyle Monday. In the process
f'of winning gold, Hoogenband tied his own world record of
1 minute, 45.35 seconds.
China strikes gold in men’s gymnastics: After two
Olypmics of underachieving, the Chinese finally took
home gold Monday night in a landslide at the Sydney
Superdome. The Americans finished fifth in finals com
petition.
TV Schedule: Tuesday, September 19, 2000
NBC:
• 10 a.m. to Noon — Swimming; Equestrian; Rowing
• 7 p.m. to Midnight — Gymnastics (Women’s final); Swim
ming; Volleyball
• 12:41 to 2:11 a.m. — Basketball; Canoeing; Water Polo
MSNBC:
• 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. — Softball; Soccer; Tennis; Archery
CNBC:
• 5-9 p.m. — Boxing; Tennis; Cycling; Sailing
ecord Book
Setting the Standard:
Weightlifting: China’s Yang Xia
broke world records in the
snatch, clean & jerk and total lift
on Monday.
Swimming: American Tom Mol-
chow set a new Olympic record
in the 200-meter butterfly on
Monday.
m
edal Watch
Gold Silver Bronze
USA
Fra
Chn
Aus
Ita
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